This petition calls on Prime Minister Najib Razak (Twitter: @NajibRazak) to act immediately to initiate a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into corruption in Sarawak and to publicly provide the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) with an unambiguous public mandate to investigate corrupt acts linked to the family of Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud.

Corruption is driving the destruction of Sarawak’s forests and is making its citizens poorer as well as ruining its environment. The recent Global Witness investigation ‘Inside Malaysia’s Shadow State’ showed exactly how Chief Minister Taib and his family are accumulating enormous wealth through his abuse of public office at the expense of ordinary Sarawakians and Malaysians.

The investigation also shows how Taib and his associates have been able to hide the money they have stolen in Singapore, using Singapore’s secrecy laws. Too much money that belongs to Malaysia’s people is being siphoned off overseas. The government must rise above partisan political interest and act in the national interest to stop this.

The abuse of power for personal gain has gone unchecked in Sarawak for decades and can only be tackled by fundamental reforms, beginning with an RCI into corruption.

1. MACC to be kept TOOTHLESS: No prosecution powers - Putrajaya www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?...macc...prosecution...Nov 8, 2012 – KUALA LUMPUR -The government reiterated that it has no intention to amend Article 145 of the Federal Constitution to give prosecutorial ... 2. No prosecutorial powers for MACC, Parliament to check - Malaysiakini www.malaysiakini.com/news/213668Nov 7, 2012 – The government has no intention to amend Article 145 of the federal constitution to allow prosecutorial powers to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption ... 3. No prosecution power for MACC | Free Malaysia Today www.freemalaysiatoday.com/.../no-prosecution-power-for-ma...Nov 7, 2012 – KUALA LUMPUR: The government does not intend to give the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) the power to prosecute those ... 4. Ex-HK graft buster against MACC prosecution powers www.themalaysianinsider.com/.../ex-hk-graft-buster-against-m...Nov 15, 2010 – KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 — Hong Kong's former anti-graft chief Bertrand de Speville has backed Malaysia's decision to keep prosecution ... 5. No plan to give prosecution powers to MACC | The Malay Mail www.mmail.com.my/.../no-plan-give-prosecution-powers-mac... Nov 8, 2012 – He said the government has no plans to award prosecution powers toMACC and insisted that the public prosecutor and AG were better suited ... 6. No plan to give prosecution powers to MACC - Yahoo! News Malaysia my.news.yahoo.com/no-plan-prosecution-powers-macc-0639...Nov 8, 2012 – Read 'No plan to give prosecution powers to MACC' on Yahoo! News Malaysia. KUALA LUMPUR: THE attorney-general does not have ...

Letter to

Malaysian Prime MinisterPrime Minister Datuk Najib Razak

I call on you to act immediately to initiate a Royal Commission of Inquiry into corruption in Sarawak and to publicly provide the MACC with a unambiguous mandate to investigate corrupt acts linked to the family of Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud.

Corruption is driving the destruction of Sarawak’s forests and is making its citizens poorer as well as ruining its environment. The recent Global Witness investigation ‘Inside Malaysia’s Shadow State (http://www.malaysiashadowstate.org) showed exactly how Chief Minister Taib and his family are accumulating enormous wealth through his abuse of public office at the expense of ordinary Sarawakians and Malaysians.

The investigation also shows how Taib and his associates have been able to hide the money they have stolen in Singapore, using Singapore’s secrecy laws. Too much money that belongs to Malaysia’s people is being siphoned off overseas. The government must rise above partisan political interest and act in the national interest to stop this.

The abuse of power for personal gain has gone unchecked in Sarawak for decades and can only be tackled by fundamental reforms, beginning with an RCI into corruption.